December 12
IN THIS ISSUE / December 12, 2018
- Trouble prescribing isotretinoin to new patients?
- New tax bill would repeal indoor tanning tax
- Are you smarter than DataDerm?™
- Apply for the AAD’s Cochrane Scholarship
- Academy Advisory Board invites members to submit policy resolutions
- Keep dermatology’s voice strong: Join the AMA
Trouble prescribing isotretinoin to new patients?
Some physicians may be experiencing delays in their ability to prescribe isotretinoin to new patients. The AADA has recently become aware that the information booklets that must be provided to new patients as part of the iPLEDGE program have been unavailable. The educational kits ran out of stock because of an error which has since been corrected. The Spanish language booklets are also out of stock and are not expected to be available until early January 2019 because of additional time required for translation.
The AADA has reached out to the iPLEDGE program administrator who said that they are working with the print vendor to produce materials as quickly as possible. The booklet for non-reproductive patients will ship this week, and the booklet for patients with reproductive potential will ship next week.
If you are currently out of the educational kits, please call the iPLEDGE program call center at 1-866-495-0654, and you will be placed on the priority list for new kits. The Academy will provide updates in Dermatology World Weekly as they become available.
Learn more about the iPLEDGE program in Dermatology World.
Related Links:
- Acne update – Dermatology World (October 2016)
- Learning module: Acne and rosacea
- Academy Position Statement on Isotretinoin
- For your patients: Isotretinoin
New tax bill would repeal indoor tanning tax
On Monday, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) introduced a revised year-end tax plan that would, among several provisions, repeal the indoor tanning tax. Other changes would include a suspension of three Affordable Care Act (ACA) taxes, including a one-year delay of the "Cadillac tax" on generous health insurance plans; a five-year delay of the medical device tax; and a two-year delay for a fee on health insurers.
The AADA needs your help in maintaining the indoor tanning tax! Tell your U.S. Senators and Representative to oppose repeal of the tanning tax and maintain the public health message it embodies.
Are teens actually tanning less? Find out in Dermatology World.
Related Links:
- Banning the bed – Dermatology World (May 2017)
- Taking on tanning – Dermatology World (August 2014)
- Academy Position Statement on Indoor Tanning
Are you smarter than DataDerm™?
Over the past several weeks, dermatologists have been testing their knowledge against the Academy’s DataDerm™ registry in DWW’s ‘Are you smarter than DataDerm?’ quiz series. Did you take the quizzes? Great! Thank you for participating. Missed it? Check out an archive of the quizzes below, and see how your colleagues fared:
Question 1: What percentage of psoriasis patients are 55 and older?
- Correct answer: 54%
- Results: 47% (26/55) answered correctly
Question 2: Is the average psoriasis patient more likely to be male or female?
- Correct answer: 56%
- Results: 60% (28/47) answered correctly
Question 3: What percentage of patients received light-based therapy for their psoriasis?
- Correct answer: 6%
- Results: 53% (40/75) answered correctly
Want to be a MIPS high performer in 2019? Find out how in Dermatology World.
- DataDerm participants earned MIPS bonuses in 2017 – Dermatology World (November 2018)
- When dealing with payers, the data can speak for itself – Dermatology World Weekly (Oct. 24, 2018)
- AADA web: MACRA Resource Center
Apply for the Academy’s Cochrane Scholarship
The Academy’s Cochrane Scholarship program is founded on the goal of expanding training in — and reach of — evidence-based medicine in dermatology. Two recipients will receive a travel grant of up to $3,500 to attend the 2019 Cochrane Colloquium in Santiago, Chile.
Award recipients will be required to develop a systematic review in a dermatology area that will support AAD clinical guideline development, or update and highlight areas for future dermatologic basic and clinical research. The review will also be submitted for consideration of publication in JAAD. Learn more and apply now!
Browse all Academy awards, grants, and scholarships.
Academy Advisory Board invites members to submit policy resolutions
The Academy’s Advisory Board (AB) invites all Academy members as well as state, local, and specialty dermatology groups to submit proposed AAD/A policy resolutions on issues of interest and/or concern. The AB convenes every year at the AAD Annual Meeting to deliberate on issues of importance to individual physicians, and if approved, propose them to the Academy’s Board of Directors for consideration. If there is an issue of interest and/or concern, now is your opportunity to submit a resolution from which an official Academy position might arise.
To ensure full consideration, please submit your resolutions by Jan. 31. The author and/or their AB representative must be present at the Reference Committee Hearing on Friday, March 1, at 2 PM (EST) at the Academy’s Annual Meeting in Washington D.C., to introduce and discuss the resolution. The full AB will vote on the resolutions March 3. Even if you do not submit a resolution, the Academy encourages all members to attend the Reference Committee Hearing to be a part of this influential debate. Please note that before you submit a resolution, your COI statement must be updated. For general questions, or to obtain a template resolution form or submit a resolution, contact Ashley John at ajohn@aad.org.
Keep dermatology’s voice strong: Join the AMA
Dermatology has successfully collaborated with the AMA and the greater house of medicine on many issues such as compounding, scope of practice, Medicare payment reform, and narrowed provider networks. The AADA’s representation in the AMA House of Delegates (HOD) is directly related to the number of dermatologists who are AMA members. Your AADA delegates represent the interests of dermatology by introducing and/or supporting resolutions that have a direct impact on how dermatologists practice medicine and care for their patients.
In 2018, a new plan was implemented to equalize the number of AMA delegates from the states and specialty societies. As a result, the Academy lost 25% of its delegation and voice in the HOD. The AAD needs you to join or rejoin the AMA. Join the AMA at www.ama-assn.org/membership.
The HOD’s Dermatology Section Council met in November and authored one resolution on graduate medical education (GME) funding. The following two clauses were adopted into policy:
- That our AMA collaborate with appropriate stakeholder organizations to advocate for preservation of VHA funding for graduate medical education (GME) and support its efforts to expand GME residency positions in the federal budget and appropriations process.
- That our AMA oppose service obligations linked to VHA GME residency or fellowship positions, particularly for resident physicians rotating through the VA for only a portion of their GME training.
The third clause, which was referred to the Board for consideration, asked the AMA to oppose service obligations linked to VHA GME residency or fellowship positions, particularly for resident physicians rotating through the VA for only a portion of their GME training.
Read more about dermatology’s fruitful alliance with the house of medicine in Dermatology World.
Related Links:
